Hard work and grit has paid off for talented 19-year-old Neeraj Chauhan, the son of a cook, as he has been selected for India’s archery team and will represent the country for the World Cup and the Asian Games.

Neeraj and his brother, a talented boxer, were at one point reduced to selling vegetables by the roadside to make a living as his father had lost his job as a cook at the mess in Meerut’s Kailash Prakash Stadium due to the Covid pandemic.

A video of their plight went viral on social media and the two boys were noticed by officials of the Sports Ministry. The government then came to their rescue and extended financial support to the boys to help them bring their sports career back on track. 

This helped Neeraj to focus on his practice and he has finally realised his dream of representing India at the world stage.

He came up with an outstanding performance at the archery trials held at Sonepat in Haryana with the second best score in the competition. 

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